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It's that time of the year again! Time to get our Christmas decorations out of the box, visit this year's Christmas markets, and prepare some presents.
As the holidays are drawing closer, let's look at some popular words and phrases related to the Christmas season in Chinese.
圣诞Shèng dànChristmas(lit."holy/saint-to be born")
01. Christmas Holidays
Let's begin by looking at the names of the holidays themselves:
圣诞节Shèng dàn JiéChristmas Day(lit. "holy / saint-to be born-festival")
平安夜Píng'ān YèChristmas Eve
02. Christmas Characters
圣诞老人Shèng dàn Lǎo rénSanta Claus / Father Christmas
驯鹿xùn lùreindeer
03. Christmas Items
Now, here are some of the things that come to mind when you think of Christmas. And if you're planning to decorate your house, these could also be the keywords you'd want to search for on Taobao:
圣诞树Shèng dàn shùChristmas tree
礼物lǐ wùpresent(s); gift(s)
圣诞贺卡Shèng dàn hè kǎChristmas card
拐棍糖guǎi gùn tángcandy cane
圣诞装饰品Shèng dàn zhuāng shì pǐnChristmas ornaments
花环huā huánwreath
圣诞彩带Shèng dàn cǎi dàiChristmas garland
04. Christmas Clothing
With Christmas coming soon or happening already, you might need these keywords for Taobao as well:
圣诞毛衣Shèng dàn máo yīChristmas sweater
圣诞袜(子)Shèng dàn wà(zi)Christmas stockings
圣诞帽Shèng dàn màoChristmas hat
05. Christmas Food
Whether or not you've grown up in a country where Christmas is traditionally celebrated, chances are that in China you will join the celebrations - with your foreign and local friends, colleagues, or at Christmas markets.
Here are some of the typical meals and beverages you might come across this season:
圣诞晚餐Shèng dàn wǎn cānChristmas dinner
烤鸡kǎo jīroast turkey
姜饼jiāng bǐngginger cookies
热红酒rè hóng jiǔmulled wine
蛋酒dàn jiǔeggnog
05. Christmas Wishes
Now that you're equipped with a lot of Christmas-related Chinese vocabulary, you can also wish your friends and relatives a Merry Christmas in Chinese:
圣诞快乐!Shèng dàn kuài lè!Merry Christmas!(lit. "Christmas-happy/merry")
Source: That's MandarinEditor: wanwan